Timeless
by soggyhook
Summary: Once upon a time, a pirate and a princess fell in love.


A/N: The other day was actually so terrible, and seastarved wrote something quite beautiful that inspired me and so I felt up to writing a quick little thing. It's totally experimental writing and basically all the reasons I love Captain Swan. Features spoilers/speculation because I am excited.

Once upon a time.

What a peculiar way to begin a story, to contrive it to a specific time and place. Most stories work like this, but not all. While there must be a be a beginning to all and everything, there are things that have no beginning, things that happen through happenings, that blossom through days and months and years. And moments. Especially moments.

Some things— _people_ —are timeless. They live and grow endlessly through these moments.

You might say, I knew she was the one when I saw my mother's ring on her finger. You might say, it was love at first sight.

But you might not.

You might say, she held a knife to my throat; she tied me to a tree and an ogre could have killed me.

You might say, I locked her in a cell, told her she would rot, told her how I'd love leaving her there to rot.

People don't always believe in these kind of fairytales. They shake their heads, will the words away from the page because of the tragedy of time it takes to create that love. They don't believe in the power time possesses.

But I urge you now, listen to me, listen to the pen of the heart of the truest believer and believe in time.

Because time ultimately is what consumes all. Time destroys all. We become one with time, whether we realize it or not.

There are heroes who don't know they are heroes. There are heroes who don't realize their relationship with time until their life flashes before their eyes and they die a hero.

They die and they come back, and they are laying on a bed with their True Love saying, "It's all in a day's work for a hero." It is because they came back from death and see the beautiful smile of their love that they are filled with the knowledge of knowing.

There are villains who don't know they are villains. They struggle and fight and live in pain until they look into the eyes of their love and they see how they must become better. They don't realize how their heart depleted for them to become a villain, but they know from a strange and familiar ache that they want and need to change. It takes time and patience and support and love, but they do. Ultimately, they do.

The power of time is almost invisible, but I noticed it more than anyone. One has to, I suppose, when one is a writer.

This story begins in many places, living in many different elements of time.

But it doesn't end, won't ever end—don't expect an ending because you won't get one.

As for the beginning:

Once upon a time, a pirate and a princess fell in love.

It wasn't immediate. It wasn't until after he'd saved her father, worked with her to save her son, betrayed her, swore on her name, followed her to the end of time, that she fell and she knew.

This princess never believed in love. Her heart had been broken, her soul had been betrayed, and she didn't believe. She couldn't even bear the thought of being a mother.

But she could be. She could be, and she was. One of the best in all the realms.

This pirate allowed her to open her heart; he tore her walls down one by one until he could see her scars. His eyes took her in graciously. It was so different from the first time he saw her, different from even when he told her he'd hope it would be her. Different from when she chained him up again. Different from when he played with words on the tip of his tongue, suggesting things with his eyes. Different from when even both of them saw the hope, say the potential 'maybe' had before being torn apart, and one half of the memories were lost.

And when he brought her back to the magical realm, because he always did, there was that 'maybe' there again. And then she no longer saw maybe. She saw yes. She saw it in his eyes when she thanked him, when he told her he gave up his ship for her. She realized this man was putting her first, nobody ever put her first, and she fell and she knew.

Time changed the both of them, but it could be argued that they changed each other.

They supported each other. They supported each other and learned what real love was.

He waited centuries, and while her waiting period was briefer, it was painful.

The pirate believed in love and vengeance. Vengeance because of love.

The princess believed in herself. She was alone, behind bars, never believing she was good enough for anyone or ever would be. She would lose so many others before she would realize the truth. She built a home out of herself and she learned to survive.

Time did its sad dance, but all dances are beautiful and all come to an end, with applause and flowers thrown on a brightly-lit stage.

The stage is still lit, but they aren't both there.

My mother stands alone, a hand clasped around a chain hanging from her neck, tears threatening to escape her eyes. It has happened before, and it's come all too soon again. He's died and he's yet to come back and she doesn't know what to do. At least this time she's told him she loves him. At least this time he takes the certainty of their love with him.

She stands alone, remembering all he's done for her. He was able to take away her darkness. Whether it was the darkness of her past, or the entity that had been tethered to her.

She remembers their dates, their first and their last. She remembers when he kissed her in a field of roses and she felt like she was in a fairytale. She was a princess, but she'd never felt this way. She'd never felt such light emanate from anywhere ever.

She's holding onto this light now. She'll need it if she's to descend into Darkness.

I tell you not to worry now. What have I told you? Believe in time, as she does. As I do.

She's lost too many people she's cared about to lose him. She won't win him back today. It may not even be tomorrow or any day this week.

She knows, though, that time is on her side.

Her pirate had proclaimed his love for her more times than she actually heard. Maybe that's the beauty of it. Maybe that's what made their love so strong, what clearly accentuated it. Maybe it's what makes their love travel the way it does.

He once said, to her father, that he'd go to the end of the world or time for her.

He went to the end of time, and, so, she'd go to the end of the world. All she has to do is keep his reminder around her neck.

All she has to do is be patient and know that time will bring him back to her.

I tell you this as her son, from the heart of the truest believer, from someone who has recognized the pattern of time: time is a gift. To have such a gift bestowed upon them, they would soon, not now, but soon, revel in the joy of being timeless.


End file.
